SMS and Push Notification Marketing: Is It Right for Your Brand?

If you're like us, you're subscribed to countless text notifications from brands. Whether these messages are used to give you a discount on your purchase or to send you updates, your favorite brands have your phone number. Countless companies have turned to SMS and push notification marketing as tools to engage with their audiences directly, but how do brands determine if these strategies are right for them? 

Let’s define SMS and push notification marketing, and explore some pro tips to figure out if these messaging strategies are right for your next campaign.

What is SMS and Push Notification Marketing? 

“Short Message Service” (SMS) marketing involves businesses sending text messages to their customers. There are typically two types of texts you’ll receive from businesses: 1) Transactional texts, like a shipping update or 2) marketing texts, featuring promo codes, new products for sale, etc. While transactional texts are more or less informational, SMS marketing texts can often be an effective way to ensure customers see your overall campaign message, prompting them to take advantage of an offer all from the convenience of their smartphone. 

Push notification marketing on the other hand uses short, clickable messages sent to users’ mobile devices from via an app users have downloaded to their device. Push notifications can, again, include transactional updates and alerts. Marketing notifications, on the other hand, can include offers, product recommendations, new drops, and more. In-app marketing notifications can do anything from help increase app engagement to drive in-store traffic.

One thing to point out before proceeding any further: You must have permission to send text messages to users. If you don’t, this could stir up future legal problems. Not only is SMS marketing regulated under US law, but texting without permission feels a little intrusive and maybe not great for your business’s image. Learn more about SMS compliance here. For push notifications, opt-ins are a bit different (depending on which device you use) as most apps will immediately prompt the user to receive these notifications when they open the app. 

Which is Right for Your Brand? 

Now that we’ve defined the difference between SMS and push notification marketing, as well as touched on opt-in requirements, it’s time to start thinking about if these messaging strategies are right for your brand. If SMS/push marketing seems right to you, consider the following: 

1. Delivery Speed: While push notifications are faster than SMS messages delivery-wise, they both vary on the user’s internet connection and mobile network. Push notifications are delivered instantly, but can lag if the user’s device is not connected to the internet. SMS messages are sent using a mobile network and can be affected by data traffic, causing delays.  But overall, if your promotions or updates are time-sensitive, both options will ensure immediate visibility. 
2. Message Length: Character limits for both strategies vary by the device type, browser, and operating system. So make sure you research what those limits are…but typically the shorter, the better. 
3. Additional Information: SMS messaging allows businesses to include attachments, links, and images in their messages while push notifications allow for a preview of a graphic/image to lead users to the app. 
4. Open Rates: The main difference between the strategies are the open rates. SMS messages have a whopping open rate of 98% and 90% read from viewers within the first three minutes of receiving the text. On the other hand, push notifications have an open rate of 20% as users are swiping the notification away to read later. 
5. Cost: SMS and push notifications may have fees associated, so make sure you consider this when looking at your overall marketing budget. In the US, SMS messages cost between $0.01 and $0.05 per message, but factors like character count, media type, international rates, and more can impact the cost. If you’re seriously considering launching this type of marketing, messaging services like Twilio, Mailchimp, Podium, and Attentive are all great places to start your research.

Best Practices and Tips for SMS and Push Notification Marketing 

Now that we’ve listed some crucial considerations, check out these tips that will help you get the ball rolling with SMS and push notification messages to your customers to drive sales and boost awareness. 

1. Personalize the Messages:

Personalization goes a long way in making customers feel valued. You can do this by using their names, referencing past purchases, or even suggesting products based on their preferences. 

• Amazon does this by sending push notifications with personalized product recommendations from what is available on customers’ profiles. 

2. Optimize Timing: 

Timing is critical in SMS and push notification marketing. Send messages when your audience is most likely to engage (pro tip: it’s definitely not when they’re asleep). Track when customers use your product or service or use in-app send time functionality to determine the best time to message your audience.

• Grubhub sends offers, promotions, and awareness messages to its customers around meal times when people are starting to think about lunch or dinner. This maximizes the likelihood of immediate action from customers.          

3. Keep the Messages Short: 

While there are character limits for SMS and push notifications, this doesn’t mean you have to max them out. Keeping messages concise makes it easy for customers to understand and act quickly. This makes their experience smoother and more satisfying, boosting the chances they'll engage successfully with what you're offering.

• Uber uses short, impactful messages to drive immediate user action (pun intended). 

4. Include a clear Call-To-Action (CTA):

Every message should have a clear CTA that tells recipients exactly what you want them to do. If it’s clicking on a link, using a promo code, visiting the app, or coming into the store -- give users directions. 

• Champs Sports sends their customers SMS alerts with a “Shop Now” link that leads to their website to increase sales. 

5. Monitor and Analyze Performance:

Regularly monitor the performance of your campaigns to asses what is doing well and what is not. Analyze metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

• Mailchimp works with Google Analytics to help advertisers better understand the performance of their messages by tracking delivery, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. They give tips on improving your campaigns as well as help you test your campaigns that compare performances to understand your audience better. 

Conclusion

While SMS and push notification marketing can differ, both strategies offer brands a direct line to their customer. This type of marketing enables real-time engagement and allows for immediate action from users. To decide if these strategies fit your brand, consider your audience's preferences and your marketing goals. Overall, it's crucial to regularly test and refine your strategies to achieve the best outcome for your company. 

Ready to implement SMS or push notifications for your brand? Reach out to our digital marketing experts at Random here to get started!